【LL.M. Application Process】Columbia Law School

前回(4/21)の投稿に続き、Columbia Law Schoolの出願サイトを確認していきたいと思います。https://www.law.columbia.edu/admissions/llm/apply-llm-program

Holistic review. No one factor on your application is more important than another; we approach each application individually and holistically, and carefully review each component.

  • Holisticは「全体の」という意味を表します。各書類やテストスコアは入学審査においてそれぞれの役割を持ちます。たとえば、TOEFLスコアは英語力/やコミュニケーション力を入学審査官へ伝えるための効果的なツールとなるものの学力は指し示しません。そのため、テスト以外の各書類(Application Form, CV/Resume, Essay, Letter of Recommendation, Transcript)の役割を把握してください。

We do not have quotas by country or area of practice. Our process seeks candidates with the strongest credentials representing diverse backgrounds, areas of the world, and legal practice.

  • ここで述べている”the strongest credentials”を証明するため、テストスコア、各出願書類のクオリティーを高めることが求められます。

Academic strength is essential. Columbia is first and foremost an academic institution. We look for factors in your application that indicate that you will be able to keep up with the academic discourse at Columbia, including your prior academic transcripts and letters of recommendation. (This does not mean you should worry about a mistake you made during your first law degree; in fact, what you have learned from your mistakes is helpful to our process.)

  • 学力を表す書類として成績表と推薦状について言及しています。特に推薦状の内容は「構成」、「表現」、「具体性」といったチェックポイントを設けてはいかがでしょうか?さらにはLL.M.課程で活躍するに際して必要なアカデミックスキル(例:分析力や問題解決力)なども把握しておきましょう。

Work experience matters. Most LL.M. students have several years of work experience when they enroll, and we strongly encourage applicants to obtain at least one year of full-time, post-law school work experience prior to applying. Experience gives you a better sense of what you want from your LL.M. experience and enhances your ability to participate in classroom and extracurricular activities.

  • Essayでは上述箇所にあるWhat you want form your LL.M. experienceに対する自分の回答を述べます。さらにはLL.M.をColumbiaで取得したい理由も同時に考えていきましょう。

Candidates in the final year of their first law degree will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances. If you are in this category, your personal statement must demonstrate that admission to the program would enable you to realize an immediate and specific career objective you otherwise could not obtain if you waited at least one additional year.

上述箇所のimmediate and specific career objectiveを考える際には、Columbia卒業後に就く仕事、職位、役割、責務、そしてその仕事を通じて達成したいことも併せて考えましょう。

English language skills are essential. As lawyers, you are advocates first and foremost. Columbia Law School has the highest Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum for a reason: We want you to engage and perform at a level commensurate with your native English speaking peers both in and out of the classroom.

総合スコアも大切ですが、特にListeningとSpeakingセクションのスコアバランスにも注意を払ってください。